1. Field
A hermetic compressor and a refrigeration cycle including the same are provided, and in particular, a hermetic compressor having an oil collecting apparatus that collects oil discharged together with a refrigerant, and a refrigeration cycle having a plurality of such hermetic compressors, are provided.
2. Background
A refrigeration cycle essentially includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion device and an evaporator, which form a closed loop, and which perform a cooling operation by changing a phase of a working fluid (i.e. refrigerant) circulating in the closed loop.
A compressor is a mechanical device that compresses a fluid using mechanical energy. A compressor may include a driving motor that generates a driving force, and a compressing unit that compresses fluid using the driving force generated by the driving motor. Oil may be provided to the compressor to cool the driving motor, to lubricate or seal the compressing unit, and the like.
When a hermetic compressor operates, oil may be discharged together with the compressed fluid, which decreases an amount of oil left inside the compressor for cooling, sealing and lubrication. As a result, reliability of the compressor may be lowered and a heat-exchange function of the refrigeration cycle may be degraded due to oil introduced into the refrigeration cycle. An oil collecting apparatus that separates and collects oil from discharged fluid would improve reliability and performance of this type of compressor.